


Stockholm Syndrome

by RovakPotter82



Series: Steve & Natasha Alternate Universes [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-07
Updated: 2015-02-12
Packaged: 2018-03-10 20:49:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3303020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RovakPotter82/pseuds/RovakPotter82
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A kidnapper and his prisoner fall in love while he holds her hostage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He was hired to kidnap her and hold her at the cabin until he was contacted. He wasn't suppose to fall in love with her. He wasn't sure why someone would want to kidnap her until he saw the news while at the food store. She was Natalia Romanov, the only daughter of Viggo Romanov, the business man who made billions with his own brand of Russian Vodka. She was the sole heiress to the company. She had just ended her morning classes and was walking back to her apartment when he approached her. He claimed he couldn't find his dog knowing she had a love for animals and she agreed to help him find it. What she didn't expect was him putting a cloth with chloroform on herface and dragging her to the van he had.

Steve made sure she was comfortable on the only place available; the bed. She woke up an hour later. “Hello? Please, I don't know what you want, but my father will pay to get me back.”

“That's the idea!” he yelled from downstairs. He made sure that the balcony was covered and she couldn't see him. 

“Don't let her see you,” his employer said. 

For one week he was able to do that, making sure his mask was on when he brought her food. He had clothes for her, but she refused to wear them. She yelled at him in Russian and tried to fight him. The only time he got physical with her was to push her back onto the bed. 

The second week is when things went down the shit hole. Some how she had picked the lock on her ankle cuff and got out through the balcony doors. It was dead of night and he woke up when he felt the cold air coming from upstairs. He ran up the steps to find her missing and balcony door open. “Shit,” he cursed and went out to see if he could still see her. She must have found a flashlight because he could barely make out her light as it went up the hill. He quickly got a gun and knife before grabbing his own light. “Natalia!” he shouted. 

Natalia gasped hearing him behind her and she lost her footing. She cried out in pain and landed hard. Despite there being snow on the ground, the ground was still hard. She got up to keep running, but she fell to the ground again. Her ankle hurt like hell. She cried as she thought she'd die out here. Just then, a wolf howled. 

“Natalia, it's me or the wolves!” her captor shouted. “Take your pick!” he shouted again and she saw the eyes of the wolves closing in on her.

“Help me, please!” she cried. 

Steve's head shot in the direction of her shout for help and he shot up the hill. Natalia was trying to get a wolf to go away and just as it was going to lunge at her, a shot rang out. The wolf fell dead in front of her and next thing she knew, her captor was in front of her. There were others wolves and whenever they charged, he shot at them. His gun went empty and then he pulled out a huge hunting knife. The last wolf seemed to circle him and he kept himself between the wolf and Natalia. 

The wolf leaped and landed on Steve and she cried out. It has it's mouth on Steve's arm, biting down. Steve groaned in pain as he thrust his knife up into the wolf. It let go of his arm and went dead. Steve pushed it off him and he got up from the ground. “Come on. We gotta go before more show up.”

“I did something to my ankle,” she said. She got up from the ground and he helped her stand. “I can't walk.”

“Okay, that's fine,” he said. He scooped her up in arms like she weighed nothing and carried her back down the hill to the cabin. She got a chance to look at her captor and determined he was actually handsome. 

“What's your name?” she asked.

“Why?” he asked. 

“I want thank you for saving my life,” she said.

“Steve,” he said.

“Thank you, Steve.”

“You're welcome, Natalia,” he said. He carried her into the cabin effortlessly and he placed her onto the sofa. “I got a first aid bag in the back, stay put,” he said pulling off his coat. 

“Don't have to tell me twice,” she said as he closed the door. He went to the back of the cabin and came back with a huge red bag. “Wow, you weren't kidding,” she said as he placed it onto the table in front of the couch. 

“All right. Anything besides you're ankle?”he asked.

“Just some scraps and bruises from the fall, but that's it. What about you?” she asked. “The wolf clamped down on your arm,” she said.

“Yeah, it did. The jacket got most of it,” he said. “I just need to give myself a shot and bandage it up. I'll be fine,” he said. Natalia grimaced when he pulled her shoe off and began to examine her ankle. “It doesn't feel broken, but you could have sprained it. I'll wrap it and get you an ice pack.”

“Then I do you,” she said and he looked at her and it was a chance to get a good look at him in the fire light. He was fucking gorgeous. “I meant, I do your wounds,” she said.

“You don't have to. I can do my own,” he said.

“I insist, Steve. You saved my life,” she said. He let out a sigh before getting the wrapping for her ankle.

“If you insist,” he said. Once he wrapped her ankle and checked her others bruises and cuts, he gave Natalia instructions on how to care for his wound. “I have to take my shirt off for you to do this properly,” he said.

“Just take it off,” she said getting the antiseptic cream ready. He gingerly took off his shirt and she nearly gasped at his muscles. “How do you stay in shape like this?”

“I run every morning, lift weights. Kind of gotten into the habit of it,” he said. Natalie chuckled before cleaning out his wound. Soon Steve was bandaged up too and he stood up from the couch. “You want to sleep down here or am I taking you back up to the bed?” he asked.

“Can you take me up to the bed?” she asked. Steve lifted her up from the couch as if she weighed nothing and carried her upstairs. He gently laid her down on the bed and made sure the fireplace was stoked before he left her for the night.

 

It was another week before she was able to walk on her ankle. He didn't bother with the mask anymore. She promised not to run away again since it was either him or wolves. His arm healed up nicely and he was able to move it without it hurting anymore. They got into a routine most days. He would come get her for breakfast and set her at the table. They started talking to each other about each other. She found out he was in the Army Special Forces and could probably kill her with his bare hands if he needed to. And it turned out she hated her father. “Since my mom died when I was three, I hadn't really connected with him. We were a happy family,” she said. 

“What did she die of?”

“Cancer,” she said. “It's why I wanted to be a doctor, but dear old Dad was like, 'You're a Romanov. The company will be your life.', and he pretty much such said no to medical school,” she said.

“So, you can't even pursue your dreams,” Steve said.

“I was able to sneak in some classes for elective purposes. I’m hoping it's enough so I can go pre med,” she said. “I'm going to try.” Steve chuckled. “What about you?”

“Army was my life,” Steve said. “Army brat. My mom, she was an artist and I got her talents.”

“You can draw?” she asked. Steve got up from the table and went over to his satchel. He got out a sketch book and placed it on the table.

“I don't normally let people look at it.” Natalia opened the sketchbook and flipped through the pages. 

“Wow, these are really good,” she said and he blushed. “Let me guess, your dad didn't want you to go to art school.”

“Made me join the Army right out of high school,” he said. Natalia scoffed as she found pictures of her on her school campus.

“Photos weren't good enough for you?”

“Photos didn't do you justice,” he said and she chuckled. He watched her flip through the pages he drew of her and shot him a look when the pictures seemed to zoom in on her legs and chest area. “I'm, sorry. I’m a guy,” he said and she laughed. 

“That's your excuse?” she asked.

“Isn't it every guy's?” he asked and she laughed even harder. 

“How long has it been?” she asked.

“Since what?”

“Since you kidnapped me?” 

“Uh, it's been almost a month,” he said. “Why?”

“If he hasn't paid the ransom by now, I don't think your employer's going to get a cent out of my father.”

“I thought that too,” Steve said. “Surprised I haven't gotten a call yet for me to cut something of yours off to send to him,” he said.

“Would you?”

“Not now, I wouldn't,” he said and she smiled.

Natalia could walk up the steps to her bedroom and as she walked up the steps, she glanced back at Steve who cleared his throat. She smiled seductively at him before disappearing behind the curtain that blocked his view of her. “Get it together, Steve,”he said before drinking the rest of his wine. She may be legal, but there was an eight year age gap between the two of them. Just then, his phone went off and went over to get it. “Rogers,” he answered. 

Natalia listened from upstairs as Steve seemed to have an intense conversation with his boss. “Yes, sir. Twenty minutes. I understand,”he said. He hung up the phone and let out a sigh before heading up the stairs. 

“Do you have to kill me?” she asked.

“Yes, I do, but I’m not going to,” he said. “Get dressed. We've got twenty minutes before my back up gets here,” he said. Natalia was up off the bed and putting the clothes on that Steve threw at her. “You were right. Your dad isn't paying,” he said. She scoffed as she pulled on pants and put on the shoes.

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

“I'm going to send my boss a message and then I’m getting you home,” he said. “Get in the closet and don't come out until I call out to you,” he said.

“Okay,” she said. She grabbed her bag and got into the closet. “Steve, be careful,” she said before he shut the door. Natalia heard him move things around downstairs and then everything went dark. He had turned out all the lights and the only light came from the fireplaces. She heard what sounded like guns being prepared and she let a whimper before crying. This was really happening. She was trusting Steve to keep her safe from what ever was coming. 

“Natalia, stay quiet,” Steve said.

“Okay,” she said before putting her hand over her mouth. A few minutes went by and she saw car headlights beam through the window and doors of the cabin. 

Steve stayed in the shadows as the SUV pulled up to the cabin. He saw four men get out. He recognized two, Rollins and Rumlow. The others he weren't sure who they were, but he wasn't about to find out. They got out of the SUV and headed toward the cabin. The door opened and the four of them entered the cabin. “Rogers? You do it yet? Need help with the body?”Rumlow asked. The man in front of stepped on his trip wire and a flash bomb went off blinding them. Steve fired his gun with a silencer and the two men in front of Rumlow and Rollins went down. “Get him!” Rumlow shouted.

Natalia jumped hearing the rapid gunfire downstairs. “Find him and kill him. I'll get the girl,” a voice said. She froze hearing someone coming up the steps to the bedroom.

Steve winced as he sat up behind boxes. A bullet nicked his side and he was bleeding. “Steve?” Rollins asked. “Come out, come out wherever you are,” he singed and Steve rolled his eyes. He jumped with his gun in his hand and before Rollins could get a shot off, he shot him in the head with his last bullet. 

Natalia let out a shout when Rumlow dragged her out of the closet and tossed her to the bed. “I'm going to have some fun with you,” he said.

“No, please,” she pleaded. “Steve!”

“Lover boy can't help you now,” Rumlow said. Rumlow got on the bed and began to rip open her dress when a gun cocked. 

“Get off her, Rumlow,” Steve said. Rumlow looked behind him and saw Steve poised with a gun aimed at him. “Get. Off. Her.” Rumlow put his hands up and got off the bed and Natalia. “Natalia, get up off the bed and get your things together.” She didn't have to be told twice. She got off the bed, pulling on her sweater and grabbing her bags and purse that were with her when Steve took her. “Get the bags on the sofa and go wait for me in the truck,” Steve said not taking his eyes off Rumlow. “You don't need to see what I’m going to do next.” Natalia got the bags off the sofa, stepping over the bodies of the two men and went out to Steve's truck. She got into the passenger side and waiting. She didn't hear anything, but a few minutes later that seemed like hours to her, Steve came out with anohter bag. He was holding his right side and she noticed a red stain on his shirt. He was shot. 

“You've been shot,” she said as he climbed in.

“Yeah, noticed,” he said putting a dish towel over the wound. He started the truck and backed out of the driveway. As they drove down the street, an explosion rocked through and startled Natalia. “Sorry. Had to send the message a different way.”

“How's that?”

“That cabin was owned by my employer, Alexander Pierce.”

“Wait, I know that name. He's a competitor of my father's,” she said. Steve nodded before groaned. “Steve, you need to get to a hospital,” she said.

“I don't need surgery. I just need someone to patch me up,” he said. “Good thing I have someone who wants to be a doctor.”

“Where are we going now?” she asked.

“There's a motel about ten miles north of here. We'll get a room for the night and tomorrow, I'll figure some way to get you home,” he said.

“Thank you.”

Ten miles north turned out to be fifteen miles north. Steve put a black coat on to check into the motel. They only had a single bed room available and he said it was fine. Natalia helped him get the bags into the room and he closed the shades before taking off the coat. “You should take a shower.”

“So should you,” she said.

“Ladies first, I insist,” he said. Natalia went into the bathroom first and took a hot shower. She came out wearing just a towel and held up her ripped dress. “Um, look through the black bag. There might be some clothes in there that will do for you.”

“Thanks. I tried not to use up all the hot water,” she said and he chuckled.

“I'll survive,” he said going into the bathroom. Steve's clothes were a little big on her, but for some miraculous reason, his boxers fit her. They were a little loose, but they didn't fall off her. They hung really low on her hips. The man had an unnatural skinny waist. She put on a flannel shirt of his and opened up the red medical bag to see what was in it. She found the suture kit he would probably need, along with swabs, bandages and antiseptic cream. The door opened and he looked to see Steve in a towel, dripping wet. “I got the bleeding ...” he stopped talking when he saw her.

“Steve, are you okay?”she asked.

“Yeah, I’m fantastic,” he said. “I just don't normally see women in my clothes that often,” he said and she chuckled.

“Why don't you lay down and I'll stitch up your wound,” she said. Steve groaned as he laid down the bed and Natalia got the suture kit. “I took some nursing classes my first semester. We covered stitching.”

“Just do it.” Natalia stitched him up as best as she could and then patched it up with a bandage. “Thanks,” he said sitting up.

“Do you want anything?”

“Just regular painkillers. There should be some ibuprofen in the bag.” She found in a front pouch and gave him four pills for him to down with water. “That should be good.” He sat up and looked over at her. “What?”

“That's twice you saved my life.”

“You're worth saving,” he said. “How can a man not want to pay a ransom for his daughter back?” he asked.

“He's greedy,” she said. She pushed some of Steve's hair back with her hand and leaned forward to kiss him. Their lips touched softly and Steve let out a sigh when she pulled away.

“I should get dressed,” he said sitting up. Natalia stood in front of him to prevent him from standing up. “Natalia,” he said before she kissed him again. “We shouldn't, I shouldn't,” he said.

“I know you want it, Steve,” she said. “I want it too,” she said before taking his hands and putting them on her hips. “I promise to be gentle,” she teased, regarding his bullet wound. Steve chuckled before unbuttoning the shirt she was wearing. She was wearing a pair of his boxers and he smiled seeing how low they hung on her hips. She felt herself getting nervous as he undid each button.

“Have you ever done this before?” Steve asked.

“Actually, I haven't,” she said. He chuckled as he finished unbuttoning her shirt and he opened the shirt to look at her. She flushed pink under his gaze and she gasped when his bare hands grasped her skin.

“I promise to be gentle,” he said. Natalia got onto his lap and pulled him into a kiss. Her breasts meshed against his bare chest. He groaned when her leg hit his wound. 

“Oh, sorry,” she said.

“No, it's okay. Maybe we should wait until I’m more healed up.”

“No, no. I want this,” she said. “I said I'd be gentle and you said you'd be gentle,” she said grasping his head with her hands. “So, be gentle, Steve and take me.” Steve's sharp intake of breath told her she had him convinced and he captured her lips with his. She removed the shirt from her shoulders and he carefully turned them over to be on top of her. He gently laid her down on the bed and kissed down her body. She let out a breathy moan when his lips touched her hip bone and he slowly slid the boxers she wore down. She jerked when his lips touched her inner thigh and she felt his hands on her hips. Then he went down on her. “Oh, God, yes,” she moaned. Her legs were over his shoulders and he licked at her folds before pressing a tongue into her. Her fingers thread through his hair and she moved him how she wanted him moved. “Yes, Steve. Oh, right there, yes,” she moaned. Her orgasm hit her out of the blue and she cried out in ecstasy. She heard Steve moan into her folds and she moaned again. Steve kissed back up her body and gazed into her eyes. “Oh, wow,” she exclaimed and he chuckled.

“Look, I don't have anything, protection wise,” he said.

“I'm on the pill. It's fine,” she said. She untied his towel and he tossed it aside. 

“It'll hurt at first, but I promise that it won't last long,” he said and she nodded. Steve kissed her as he spread her legs with his knee. He reached down to guide himself toward her womanhood. She gasped when she felt his cock at her entrance. “Okay?”he asked and she nodded. He kissed her again and pressed into her slowly. She moaned in pain causing him to stop. “I'm sorry.”

“No, it's okay. Keep going,” she said. She let out a gasped moan when he pressed further into her.

“Put your legs around my waist, but careful,” he said. She loosely put her legs around his waist. Her knee barely brushed against the white bandage on his side and he gasped out.

“Sorry,” she said before moaning when he thrust into her all the way.

“Okay?” he asked and she nodded. He kissed her lightly before kissing her cheeks, nose, eyelids and neck. His hand grasped her thigh and he pulled out of her slowly. She moaned when he moved back into her. “Oh, God, you're so tight.”  
He grunted as he thrust into her and her body responded. He kissed her cheek and neck before thrusting slow and soft into her. 

“Oh, Steve.” She wanted to tightened her legs around his waist, but she didn't want to make his stitches pop. She felt intense pain at first, but slowly it became pleasure as his cock moved inside her. She grasped onto his shoulders and she arched up into his body. He responded with a moan and she moved her hips up as he thrust his and the pleasure rocked through her. Steve moaned into her mouth before moving his hand up her side and melded around her breast. He thumbed her nipple and she arched up into him. 

“God, you're so beautiful, Talia,” he said and she moaned at the nickname. Nobody called her Talia. It was always just Natalia or Nat. He called her Talia. It made her feel. 

“Harder,” she said. The request made him halt in his thrusts and he gasped out when her hand clasped on his ass.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“As gentle as you can so you don't hurt yourself, of course,” she said and Steve chuckled. He grunted when he shifted inside her and he began to thrust harder into her. Natalia groaned, bending her head back, eyes rolling into the back of her head and she squeezed her legs without thinking. He hissed in pain, but his thrusting didn't falter. He thrust faster and faster into her and brought his other hand down between them. Natalia moaned out when he grasped her clit between his fingers and she whimpered feeling her climax coming closer. “Steve,” she whimpered.

“Talia,” he moaned into her ear. She gasped out, moaning and arching her back. Steve hissed in pain again feeling the stitches she just did pop before he groaned out and came inside her. He collapsed on top of her and breathed out heavily as she ran her hands along his back. He groaned when her hand went across the bandage and she found blood on her fingers. “Did they pop?” he asked into her neck.

“Yeah,” she said. 

 

Natalia stitched Steve back up and they got into bed. “Now what?” she asked.

“I get you home,” he said.

“How?” she asked.

“I'll think of something,” he said before kissing her head.

 

Natalia walked into the diner Steve told her to and sat down at a booth. A waitress came to ask her what she wanted. She ordered a hot chocolate and the breakfast special. She looked around the diner and found Steve where he said he would be. He gave her a look that everything was going to be okay and she nodded. Her breakfast came and she ate it slowly. The bill came and she paid for it. Once the waitress left, she took out a phone Steve gave her and called her father. “Daddy?” 

“Natie, honey, is that you?”

“Yes, it's me.”

“Where are you?” he asked.

“I don't know. I’m really scared, Daddy.”

“It's okay, honey. Just stay on the line.”

About a half hour later, FBI came to the diner to come get her. “Natalia, I’m Special Agent Clint Barton. I’m here to take you home,” he said. She nodded. With one last look to Steve when they were looking, Natalia let the agents take her home.

 

Five years later...

The elevator doors opened to a hallway of a penthouse apartment. “My daughter's been traumatized from this ordeal. She can't go outside. Her therapist diagnosed her with agoraphobia a few years ago. The problem has been finding her an assistant. She's rejected the last three I've set her up with.”

“She give a reason?” the intended employee asked.

“No, which is so unlike her,” Viggo said. He polietly knocked on the door before waiting. Both men heard several locks being undone and the door opened. “Natalia, how are you doing this fine morning?”

“Fine, Dad. What's up?”

“I have a potential new assistant for you.” She groaned and he stopped her from opening the door. “I think you'll like this one, dear. At least meet him first.”

“Him? You know how I feel about men, Father.”

“Natalia, opened the door, please and meet him,” he said. Natalia groaned before closing the door to unlock the chain. She stepped back to let her father in and she had to stop herself from smiling wide when the person behind her father walked in. “Natalia, this is Steven Rogers, a hopeful employee for us, you, to be your assistant, life companion, even bodyguard for possible trips outside.”

“Dad, my therapist said to not force it.”

“I know, but it's been five years,” he said. Just then his cellphone went off and she rolled her eyes. “Excuse me, I have to take this.”

“Of course you do,” she said. 

“Why don't you get to know each other?” he suggested before going out to the terrace. 

“I can't believe you're here,” she said to Steve.

“I said we would see each other again,” Steve said and she smiled. “It's taking all of my will power not to just kiss you right now in front of your father. God, you have gotten even more beautiful.” She smiled again and she saw her father react. 

“My father thinks this is going well,” she said.

“Let him think that,” Steve said. “In order for this to work, you have to agree that I would be suitable to be your assistant,” he said.

“Watch this,” Natalia said as her father came back into living room.

“So, what do you think?”

“He'll do, I guess. Hope he lasts longer than the last one,” she said before leaving the room. Viggo chuckled and looked back at Steve.

“Why don't I leave you to it, Mr. Rogers?” he said.

“Thank you, Mr. Romanov,” Steve said.

“Thank you, Mr. Rogers,” Viggo said. “Make sure you lock the door behind me or she'll get antsy,” he added. 

“Will do.” Steve locked the door behind Mr. Romanov and called out for Natalia. “He's gone, Natalia,” he said taking off his coat. She came out from behind the wall and smiled at him. “So, not a bad plan, huh?”

“No,” she said before going over to him. Steve gathered her up in his arms and held her tight. She let out a cry and he comforted her.

“It's okay now. We're together again and nothing can keep us apart, I promise,” he said and he intended to keep that promise.

End


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second part and conclusion of Steve and Natalia.

Chapter Two

Natalia sighed in delight as Steve held her. “So, now that I am officially your assistance, is here anything I can do for you, Ms Romanov?” Steve asked.

“Take me to bed and make love to me,” she said. Steve scooped her up bridal style and carried her to the bedroom. He gently laid her on the bed and took off his shoes before climbing onto the bed with her. “Steve,” she moaned. He took off her robe and pulled up her shirt. He laid a gentle kiss on her stomach before pulling up her shirt. She wasn't wearing a bra and he moaned at the sight of her.

“God, I've missed that view,” he said and she chuckled. He took off his shirt and he was still built as he was before.

“And I've missed that view,” she said and he chuckled. Steve gathered her breasts in his hands and she moaned. He played with her nipple in between in his fingers on her right before taking it into his mouth. “Steve, yes, please,” she moaned as he played with her left nipple. He moved his mouth to the other breast before kissing down her body. Steve removed her pants and underwear and just stared at her.

“God, you're so beautiful,” he said. He kissed her hip before sitting up on his knees. Natalia sat up and undid Steve's pants. He shuffled out of them and got back on top of her. “Talia,” he moaned when her fingers grazed his cock. “I love you,” he said as she spread her legs for him.

“I love you too, Steve,” she said. He entered her in one swift movement and she moaned out, grasping onto his broad shoulders. He only waited a short moment before moving. Natalia wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him down into a kiss. They moaned as he thrust in and out of her. She moved her hips with his to meet each thrust and he moaned out as her muscles clenched around him. 

“God, still so tight as that first time,” he said. “Have you been with anyone since me?”

“No, I couldn't,” she said.

“Good girl,” he said before putting her arms up over her head and intertwining their fingers together. She squeezed her legs around his waist and he groaned before moving faster.

“Yes, faster, Steve,” she said. He thrust faster into her and they moved together in the rhythm from five years ago. It was like they were never separated. He put his hands on her hips and she ran her fingers through his hair. “Steve, I’m getting so close,” she breathed out. After she said that, Natalia gasped out before crying out her climax. Her body arched up into Steve's and he halted his thrusts when she squeezed his cock. He only managed two more thrusts before he was coming as well. A deep, guttural moan into her neck before he was spent on top of her. Natalia felt him come inside her and she moaned softly. “Steve.”

“Talia,” he moaned out as he breathed heavily. She whimpered when he pulled out of her and he laid down next to her. Natalia curled up next to him as he pulled the sheet over them. 

“You have some serious making up to do after five years of absence,” she said.

“The flowers weren't enough?” he asked putting his arms around her. Every year for Valentine's Day and her birthday, he sent flowers. He had a standing order with a local flower shop and they would send her flowers every year on those two days. The card was always signed, 'Your Savior'. 

“No, they were beautiful,” she said, “but not having you for five years, I was going nuts.”

“Had to wait for the statute of limitations to run out,” Steve said. 

When Natalia was 'rescued' by the FBI, they took her to a local hospital to get checked out. They did a full physical on her, including a rape kit. They found evidence of sexual activity and while it wasn't enough for it to seem like it was rape, her father, who had arrived at the hospital, cried out rape. Steve couldn't risk being arrested if he came back to Natalia right away. He explained in a very long letter to her that they must wait five years to be together. They hadn't used protection when they made love that night in the hotel, so the FBI and NYPD had Steve's DNA on file in the rape kit.

If Steve had come back to Natalia before the five years were up, there was a possibility that they could catch him and arrest him. There was also another risk. 

“What about them arresting you for murder?” she asked.

“Self defense. Besides, the cabin belonged to Pierce and he's in jail for hiring men to kidnap you and hold you hostage. Blowing up the cabin like that makes people think he double crossed everyone.” Natalia sighed as she seemed to get a tighter hold on Steve. “I'm not going anywhere, Talia. I promise. I’m here to stay,” he said.

 

Steve and Natalia kept up the appearance of assistant and employer as a year seemed to fly by them. He kept the standing orders for flowers on Valentine's Day and her birthday to keep it looking like the man who saved her was still out there. If they had stopped, people, mainly her father and the ever visiting Agent Barton would get suspicious. Every year on the day she was kidnapped, Agent Barton and his partner at the time, would visit her, in hope of jogging her memory.

When she had given her statement, Natalia kept Steve's name out of it, claiming that he never told her his name. She stated that the four men came to kill them both and her kidnapper saved the both of them. She had run out of the cabin when he told her to and got into his truck and drove away. She didn't know he had survived the explosion and she truthfully told Barton that she thought the flowers she received twice a year may be from him. 

Agent Barton looked into the flower delivery, but each time they would visit, the shop couldn't tell them who it was. Just that there is an automatic payment each year, both times and they only sign the card, 'Your Savior'. The only thing that kept Natalia hopeful of seeing Steve were those flower deliveries and a long letter at Christmas time, telling her about his year. He would include a drawing of her to let her know he was watching her. It was in one of those long letters that he suggested she 'develop' a fear of going outside so that her father would have to hire her an assistant.

For three years, Natalia would reject person after person. The longest someone's ever lasted was three months. Steve wrote in his last letter that he would arrive after the time was right and here he was, back where he belonged, with her. 

Every night since returning, Steve and Natalia would make love. He had five years of making up to her and he did it every night in her opinion. He was a dutiful assistant to everyone in her life. He did her grocery shopping, errands, picked up mail. Even helped her get her nursing degree. Slowly but surely, they grew more in love with each other. “He really is cute,” her friend, Jane said. Jane was a fellow nursing student and she and Natalia had become friends. “So, has he gotten you come out onto your terrace?” she asked.

“He has,” Natalia said, keeping up with appearances. Her terrace was just off her living room and she and Jane decided to go out. “Steve, Jane and I are going out onto the terrace.”

“Okay. Call me if you need me,” he said before going into the kitchen.

“What's different about him?” Jane asked.

“Hmm?”

“Well, it's been six months, Nat. That's longer than all of your other assistants, combined.”

“I don't know. I feel safe around him.”

“I'd feel safe around him too. He's really built. How does he stay in shape like that?”

“Well, I give him Sundays off and I think he goes to the gym. Plus, he runs practically every day. Comes back here after with coffee and bagels from my favorite coffee house. He even called the newspaper to have the paper boy stop throwing the paper short of my door.”

“Sounds like your dad found you a winner,” Jane said sipping her coffee.

“Yeah, he is,” Natalia said with a smile.

“Hope your dad doesn't notice you falling in love with him,” her friend said and Natalia looked over at her. “Oh, come on. I can totally see it. The way you look at him and your face lights up when he walks into the room. He's the same way with you. He is totally in love with you.”

“I know and I think I love him,” she said. “He's my savior,” she said without thinking.

“Wait, as in the guy who sends you flowers?” Jane asked and Natalia looked over at her.

“What? No, that guy saved me and so did Steve. He's talking about getting me out of the penthouse for doctor appointments.”

“You haven't set foot out of this penthouse in three years,” Jane said. “Can he really convince you to do it?”

“I think he can convince me to do anything,” Natalia said and Jane chuckled.

“Well, if you guys decide to get married, I want to be the maid of honor,” she said.

“Deal,” Natalia said with a smile.

 

Viggo Romanov entered his daughter's penthouse after his fourth knock went unanswered. “Natalia?” he called and when he received no answer, he closed the door behind him and went further into the penthouse. He heard giggling coming from Natalia's bedroom and went down the hall toward it. The door was slightly ajar and when he looked in, he got the shock of his life. His daughter was in bed with her assistant, Steve. 

“In the middle of the afternoon?” she asked him.

“Well, every night didn't seem like it was enough to make up for the five year absence,” he said. Natalia giggled as Steve kissed her on the head. “You realize we never would have met if Pierce hadn't hired me to kidnap you.” Viggo backed away from the door so he wouldn't hit it. The man in bed with his daughter was the one who kidnapped her and possibly raped her as well. He had to tell Barton this.

 

Special Agent Clint Barton of the FBI sighed out as he went over a case file. His partner whistled at him and he looked to see Maria looking behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Viggo Romanov. “Mr. Romanov.” The billionaire came up to him and shook his hand. “To what do I ow the pleasure of your company today?” he asked.

“I have new information, regarding my daughter's case,” he said.

“Oh, well, sit down,” he said.

“No actually I just need you to look into someone for me,” Viggo said.

“Who?”

“About six months ago, I hired a new assistant for Natalia, Steve Rogers. This afternoon I went over to her house and saw the two of them in bed together.”

“They're two consenting adults, sir,” Agent Hill said. “I'm sure you can understand that.”

“Yes, but what he said while they were in bed, kind of threw me for a loop.”

“What did he say?”

“He said they never would have met if Pierce hadn't hired him,” Viggo said.

“You heard him say that?” Barton asked. “Are you sure you heard it right?” 

“He's the one who raped my daughter!”

“Sir, we'll look into it, but we can't arrest him on just your word. Take it easy,” Clint said.

 

So, Clint and Maria found themselves going over to Natalia Romanov's penthouse in the morning. “Are we really going through with this?” Maria asked. “We can't just investigate based on his word.”

“It won't hurt to ask her a few questions and him,” Clint said. The door man for that morning looked up and greeted them. 

“Good morning, may I help you?” he asked.

“Yeah, Special Agent Clint Barton and Special Agent Maria Hill. We're here to see Natalia Romanov,” Clint said as he and Maria held up their badges. 

“Well, she is in,” the door man said before looking behind them as someone walked into the building. “Morning, Steve,” he said.

“Morning, Sam,” he said opening Natalia's mailbox and getting the morning mail. Maria and Clint looked him over and Maria found herself craning her neck to get a better angle at his ass.

“Wow,” she mouthed and Clint chuckled. 

“Steve Rogers?” he asked. 

“Yes?” he asked putting Natalia's mail under his arm. He turned around to come face to face with two federal officers judging from their badges. “Can I help you?” he asked.

“Yes, we need to talk to you and Ms Romanov,” Clint said. “Just a few questions.”

“Okay. I'll take them up, Sam,” Steve said.

“All right, Steve. Oh, Natalia's birthday flowers came today,” Sam said. 

“Thank you,” Steve said. Between the mail and the coffee and bagels he had, grabbing the vase of flowers was nearly impossible, so Clint stepped forward and grabbed them. 

“I'll get these,” he said. 

“Thanks, “ Steve said before leading the agents to the elevator. Inside he pressed the penthouse button and the doors closed. “So, what do you guys want to talk to Nat about?” Steve asked.

“It's around the time we usually come to ask her about her kidnapping in case she remembers anything new,” Clint said and Steve nodded. The elevator reached the penthouse and Steve groaned seeing the newspaper away from the door.

“Dammit, I’m going to kill this kid,” he said stooping to pick up the paper. “I swear, I think he just takes out the paper from his bag and drops it right there on the floor, not even moving out of the elevator.” Clint chuckled. “He schedules his stop here around the time I go for my run, so he knows I’m not here.”

“Maybe tomorrow you should keep an eye out for him and surprise him,” Maria said.

“Don't tempt me,” Steve said getting his key out. He unlocked the door and he entered the penthouse first, before stepping to the side and letting the two agents. 

“Thanks. Where should I put the flowers?” 

“On the coffee table. I'll let her know you're here,” Steve said before going deeper into the penthouse as Clint put the flowers onto the table.

“They're beautiful,” Maria said.

Steve found Natalia staring at something in the bathroom. “Hey, is everything okay?” he asked. She picked up a white stick from the bathroom counter and showed it to him.

“I'm pregnant,” she said with a smile.

“Really?” he asked taking a look at the stick.

“I heard you talking with someone,” she said.

“Uh, Agents Barton and Hill are here,” he said.

“Oh, they usually wait until the anniversary of my kidnapping,” she said.

“That's what I thought,” he said. “We'll celebrate later and you're birthday flowers are here.”

“Thank you,” she said giving him a kiss. Natalia walked out to the living room and smiled seeing Clint. “Agent Barton.” 

“Hey, Natalia, how are you?” he asked.

“I'm good. Oh, my birthday flowers arrived.”

“Yes, I was mentioning to Clint how beautiful they are,” Maria said. “Who sent them?” Natalia shrugged as she picked the card out and looked at the card. It was signed 'Your Savior' like always. 

“They always brighten my year, twice a year. At least someone sends me flowers on my birthday,” she said. “My father hasn't done anything for my birthday since my mother died.”

“So, uh, you feel like talking?” Clint asked.

“Might as well,” she said sitting down on her couch. “So, let's go over this again. I don't remember anything new. It's all going to be the same as before.”

“Natalia, your father came in yesterday afternoon after he stopped by your penthouse,” Clint said.

“My father was here?”

“He seemed pretty adamant about Steve Rogers being the guy who held you hostage in the cabin five and a half years ago.”

“My father's hearing is off then,” Natalia said. “And it looks like I’m going to have to have a talk with him about coming into my apartment unannounced. Maybe even change the locks.”

“What is your relationship with Steve Rogers?” Maria asked.

“He's my live in companion. Does errands, gets the mail. Helps me when I have panic attacks,” she said. “He's a dear friend.”

“Your father says he's more than a friend,” Maria said. Natalia sighed out as she looked behind her. Steve had freshly showered and was now out in the kitchen getting breakfast together.

“He may not like it, but Steve and I have developed more than a working relationship over the six months he's been my assistant.”

“So, he's unhappy with that?” Barton asked.

“My father didn't stay to have a conversation with us,” she said. “I never knew he was in my penthouse until you just told me.”

“Is Steve Rogers the man who held you captive in the cabin?” Maria asked bluntly.

“No, he isn't,” she said. “That man was still in the cabin when I left.”

“So, you met Steve six months ago when he was hired by your father?” Clint asked.

“Yes.”

“Natalia, is everything okay?” Steve asked.

“Yes, they're just asking me about my kidnapping,” she said.

“You set her back the six months it took me to get her out her shell bringing that up, I’m throwing you out,” he said sternly. “I don't care if you two are federal agents.”

“We won't. I promise,” Clint said. Steve looked him over before going back into the kitchen.

“He's very protective of me,” she said. “I have a doctor's appointment in a couple of weeks. He was hoping to take me there in person instead of having the doctor come here.”

“Are you really making that kind of progress?” Clint asked.

“I've been outside before, on my terrace. Haven't been out my door yet.” Clint chuckled. 

“You mind if I ask Steve some questions?” Maria asked causing Natalia to look at her.

“Why do you need to ask Steve questions?” she asked.

“Just want to clear up what he said that your father may have heard wrong,” she said before getting up from the sofa. Natalia didn't have time to warn Steve as Maria walked into the kitchen. “Hey, there.” Steve turned around to face her.

“Something you want to ask me, Agent Hill?” he asked before going back to the eggs.

“I wanted to ask you some questions?”

“Shoot,” he said.

“Did you kidnap Natalia Romanov five and a half years ago?” she asked and Steve laughed. 

“You're joking, right?” he asked. “I never met Natalia until six months ago.”

“Her father claims you were the one who kidnapped her. He was here in the apartment yesterday afternoon. Claimed he said he heard you say that if you and Natalia would have never met if Pierce hadn't hired you to kidnap her.”

“He heard it wrong. I said if Pierce hadn't had her kidnapped we would have never met,” he said. “You know he is pushing 70. The man's hearing if probably off.”

“Do the names, Brock Rumlow, Jack Rollins, Seth Gage and Jasper Sitwell mean anything to you?”

“Can't say they do? Why?”

“They're the four men who were in the cabin when it blew up,” Maria said.

“I don't know who they are,” Steve said.

“Where were you on January fifteenth 2009?”

“Seriously? I can't remember that far back,” he said.

“Smart guy like you. I’m sure you think of something.”

“Well, five years ago, I was in the Army, so most likely I was in Afghanistan,” he said. “I wasn't discharged from the Army until two years later.” Maria looked him over and he crossed his arms in front of him.

“What did you do the Army?”

“Classified,” he said which was true. Most of the stuff he did for the Army was classified.

Clint looked up to see Maria coming into the living room. Looked like she came up empty with Rogers. “All right. Um, again, if you can think of anything new, call me,” he said to Natalia.

“I will,” she said. Barton and Hill saw themselves out and Natalia locked the door behind them.

“I'm calling a locksmith today. We're changing the the locks,” Steve said.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Breakfast?” he asked.

“Sure thing.”

 

Two days later, Viggo Romanov came to them looking for an update, but they were disappointing him. “Hey, we're not on his pay roll. We're federal agents, not private security,” Maria said. “Rockwell told us to drop it.”

“I know, but I want to dig into Rogers. See if we can find anything that could help us keep Romanov at bay.”

Despite Clint's connections, he couldn't find much on Rogers. His mother, Sarah Rogers, died in childbirth, and he was taken from his father's custody when he was four because he was abusive. He bopped around foster care for a few years before he stayed with the Barnes family until he aged out at 18. “Despite going through so many foster homes, he excelled in school. Grades even improved when he lived the Barnes'. Football, lacrosse and basketball player. Joined the Army a day after 9/11. Somehow the guy is fluent in five languages; French, Russian, Italian, Arabic and Pashtu.” 

“Holy shit,” Clint said. “The guy's bilingual,” he said.

“They say when you learn one language all the others just fall into place.”

“What did he do for the Army?”

“See, that's the problem Clint, his record is clear for the first three years of his service, but after that, so much of his files are redacted. It sounds like he was Special Forces or something.”

“Great,” Clint said.

“Barton, Hill, my office,” Rockwell bellowed.

“Great, what did we do?” Maria asked. The two of them dropped what they were doing and headed into their boss' office. When they got in there, a man dressed in all black with an eye patch was standing in it.

“Barton, this is Colonel Nick Fury,” Rockwell said.

“Colonel. Is there something you want from us?”

“Yes, you can stop looking into Steve Rogers for me,” Fury said.

“I'm sorry?” Hill asked.

“Steve Rogers was working for me when he kidnapped Natalia Romanov five and a half years ago. We're a special branch of Army CID that doesn't exist.”

“You're spies?”

“We investigate dirty Army officers and enlisted under the radar of Army CID. Rogers was placed in the Special Forces unit the four men were in under a different name. That's how he knows them and why you couldn't find him under Steve Rogers. He was really good at what he did.”

“So, he's a spy?” Hill asked.

“Well, not anymore. He is officially retired from Army CID. He came to me after she was safe to tell me he wanted out, but I had missions that I needed him for. That's where he was for five years. Once he was done, I let him retire so he could be with her.”

“You were his commanding officer?” Clint asked.

“In a way,” he said. “Steve Rogers was out of the Army in 2005, but officially that's when he began to work in Army CID. We had a special group called Section 8. Rumlow's entire unit was under investigation. Steve was placed in it in 2006 and he actually kept in touch with them when they moved on to private security. When Pierce needed someone to kidnap Natalia Romanov, Rumlow suggested Rogers since he had no ties to the company. Pierce never met Rogers face to face. Just talked with him on the phone. Using a false name, Rogers got hired to kidnap her. I gave him the go ahead to do it, but to keep her safe by any means necessary. What I didn't expect was for him to fall in love with her,” Fury explained.

“I told you,” Maria said to Barton. “Stockholm Syndrome. Natalia fell in love with her kidnapper,” she said and Barton scoffed.

“What the hell do you expect us to do about her father? He's down here practically every day wanting an update.”

“You tell him what you've been telling him the last five and a half years. There is no evidence strong enough to arrest him, which there isn't,” Fury said.

 

After Fury's visit, Maria and Clint put the case away and closed it. Viggo wasn't very happy with it, nor was he happy that his daughter changed the locks on him. “No more dropping by unannounced, Dad,” she said.

“Natalia, I worry about you.”

“I'm fine, Dad. Steve takes care of me,” she said.

“I want to get rid of him,” Viggo said.

“It's not an option, Dad. I love him and we're going to have a baby.”

“What?”

“I'm pregnant, Dad. The doctor confirmed it last week,” she said.

“But he was the one who kidnapped you,” he said.

“No, he wasn't. The police and the FBI cleared him. You need to stop, Dad, or our relationship is going to be non existent.”

 

Natalia and Steve shut themselves away from the world, only coming out of the penthouse when they needed to. Steve still ran every morning and came back with breakfast. Viggo couldn't let it go and hired a private investigator to look into Steve and follow him around. He couldn't bring anything to satisfy Viggo, so Viggo fired him and hired another one. One after another, the investigators couldn't bring anything to him. He began to obsess over the relationship between his daughter and her caretaker. She was coming out into the public more with him and coming out of her fear shell she had developed. He wanted to get rid of Steve and the only way he could think of was hiring someone to kill him.

 

It happened on a cold night when Natalia and Steve were invited to the ballet by a friend of hers, Pepper Potts. She and her soon to be husband, billionaire, Tony Stark had two extra tickets and when Pepper had found out Natalia was out and about again, she had to invite her and her new beau. 

Natalia wore a royal blue maternity dress with heels while Steve put on a tux. They arrived on time at the ballet and met up with Tony and Pepper inside the theater. The ballet was beautiful. Being a former ballerina, Natalia loved every minute of it and Steve was happy that she could finally be herself. When the ballet was over, Natalia, Steve, Pepper and Tony decided to go out to eat. They were heading to the car behind the theater when a man jumped out of the alley. Steve and him struggled for the gun he waved and before anybody could react, it went off. “Steve!” Natalia shouted as the gunman rna away.

“Pepper, call 911!” Tony shouted taking off his scarf. HE used it to put pressure on the gunshot wound in Steve's gut. “Hang on, buddy. Hang on, Steve,” he said.

“Steve, please, don't leave me,” she said.

“Stay with us, Steve,” Tony said. The last thing Steve saw was Nat's face and her tears for him.

Steve was rushed to the hospital and immediately taken into the surgery. The doctor's weren't hopeful he would survive surgery, but Natalia wanted to stay positive. Pepper and Tony stayed with her the whole night. They called her friend, Jane, for added support. “I know my father had something to do with this,” Natalia said rubbing her belly. The police came to take a statement, but Natalia was too in shock for her to think clearly. Tony moved his weight around and got them into a private waiting room. Three hours later, a doctor came up to them to say they stopped the bleeding and repaired the damage done by the bullet. The next twenty four hours were critical and Steve was placed in the ICU. Pepper and Tony convinced her to go home, take a shower and change before coming back to the hospital to sit by Steve's bed.

Viggo was unhappy with his murder for hire guy and paid him double to finish the job. Except that the personal security of Stark Industries was on the floor everywhere. He was caught trying to get into the room with any ID. When the police pressed him, he confessed to being hired by Viggo Romanov to kill Steve Rogers to get him out of his daughter's life. An arrest warrant for Natalia's father was issued with a charge of murder for hire.

He tried to get out of the country, but the police caught up with him.

 

Steve woke up two days after being shot. He saw Natalia sitting by his bed. “Talia,” he whispered. His voice was hoarse, but she heard him and was up out of her seat.

“Steve, oh thank, God,” she said. She gave him a passionate kiss before going to get the doctor. Once the doctor examined Steve and deemed he was out of the woods, she sat on the bed and his hand automatically went to the belly.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, everything's fine,” she said. “I should ask you how you're feeling.”

“They got me on a morphine drip, huh?” he asked.

“Yeah, they do,” she said with a smile.

“Then I’m great,” he said and she laughed.

“Dad's been arrested.”

“What for?”

“He hired the guy who shot you to kill you. He had tried to come back and finish the job, but Tony's security team stopped him and he buckled under police interrogation.”

“Wow. I didn't think your dad would go that far to get rid of me,” he said.

“Well, he tried. He's going to jail, Steve,” she said.

“For how long?”

“A long time,” she said. Steve sighed as he sunk into his bed.

“I'm sorry, Talia,” he said.

“What for?”

“I ruined your relationship with your father.”

“You didn't ruin it. He did by doing this stupid thing. I love you, Steve and we're going to be a family,” she said putting her hand on top of his that was on her belly. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” She leaned toward him and gave him a kiss.

“I found out the baby's sex while you were unconscious,” she said.

“Really?”

“Yeah, Pepper took me up to my doctor to make sure that the baby wasn't stressed or anything. We peeked at the sex. Want to know?”

“Do not leave me hanging woman,” he said and she laughed.

“It's a boy,” she said and Steve let it sink in. 

“Wow, a boy,” he said rubbing her belly. “I think I love you more now,” he said and she chuckled.

“I love you more, too,” she said before kissing him. “We're finally together and going to start our own family.” Steve sighed in content. He didn't think he'd ever find happiness, but he did. He was going to have to send Nick Fury a thank you card. If he hadn't recruited him, he would have never met Natalia.

The End

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The moment you knew you fucked up](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7174244) by [Iamaweirdo7](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iamaweirdo7/pseuds/Iamaweirdo7)




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